It was fantastic to see what our community could do

Frances is a LiveSmart Manager, support residents and their health and safety. She shares how her community adapted during the pandemic

The experience taught me we are stronger than we think

I’m a LiveSmart Manager, looking after one of our schemes for over 55s in Surrey. I oversee the health and safety compliance at the scheme, as well as its maintenance and I’m there to support residents. The first lockdown was a big shift change, I began to work from home rather than on-site and we closed all the communal areas apart from the laundry room. It was tough for everyone but residents knew they could still reach me on the phone and we kept in touch regularly, checking on their welfare – especially those who had been advised to shield.

Fortunately, in our community there is a food aid programme. This proved to be a real help to some of our residents and I alerted the charity whenever I identified someone was in need. For those with health issues, I was able to put them in touch with the local emergency response volunteers who could help with collecting prescriptions. It was really fantastic to see what the community could do when we all pulled together to protect the most vulnerable.

The residents of the scheme were very stoic throughout and they understood the need to keep themselves safe. I really missed seeing them every day but following guidance, we were able to adopt Covid-19-safe measures and return to the scheme. The whole experience has taught me we’re stronger than we think. You don’t fully appreciate how well you’re able to cope until you have to cope!